Possible Cure For Peanut Allergy Found

Peanut allergies have become surprisingly more common recently, and it's scary to think that taking an innocent bite of an energy bar fortified with peanut flour could end with fatal results. Scientists have been trying to figure out the cause of this life-threatening condition, but it looks like now they may have found a way to cure peanut allergies.

A recent study at Duke University Medical Center helped five children, who previously suffered from severe peanut allergies, to eat peanuts with no reaction. Over several years, scientists gave the children small amounts of peanuts, and with time, their bodies learned to tolerate the allergen. Using oral immunotherapy, the kids started eating minuscule amounts of peanut flour equal to one thousandth of a peanut, and worked their way up to the equivalent of 15 peanuts. The results from this pilot study seem promising to the more than 3.3 million people who suffer from peanut allergies, but the scientists still need to track the children for a few more years to make sure the treatment cured them permanently.

i heard about this a couple days ago on the news, and then saw more of the story last night. i think that it would be a really big break through if it were the case that they have a cure for it. i hope that it's something that they can roll out more - since it's really scary to think about how many folks are suffering from this allergy and how it's just growing in how common it is.